Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is a statutory emergency fire and rescue service covering the local authority areas of Wiltshire, Swindon, Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in England.[1]
 | |
| "passionate about changing and saving lives" | |
| Operational area | |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| County | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Address | Five Rivers Health & Wellbeing Centre, Hulse Road, Salisbury, SP1 3NR |
| Agency overview | |
| Established | 1 April 2016 |
| Annual budget | £54.8 million (2016) |
| Fire chief | Ben Ansell |
| Facilities and equipment | |
| Stations | 50 |
| Website | |
| www | |
The service was created on 1 April 2016 by the merger of Dorset Fire and Rescue Service and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.[1] Its headquarters is at Salisbury, Wiltshire, some 10 miles (16 km) from the Dorset county boundary. The former headquarters at Poundbury, Dorset, and Potterne, Wiltshire, are retained as area offices;[2] emergency calls for the combined area have been answered by a control centre at Potterne since August 2015.[3]
Provision of the service is by the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority, which has 18 elected members from all four constituent councils and is chaired by Dorset councillor Rebecca Knox.[4]
In September 2016, Ben Ansell was appointed as the service's second Chief Fire Officer, succeeding Darran Gunter with effect from December 2016.[5]
StationsEdit
The service has 50 fire stations covering its area: six in the Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole council areas, 20 in the rest of Dorset, three in Swindon, and 21 in the rest of Wiltshire.[6]
The service uses a variety of duty systems including wholetime firefighters, retained firefighters (on-call), and day-crewed 08:30–18:30 Monday to Friday. Some stations also have fire service co-responders, supporting the work of South Western Ambulance Service.
Other facilities include:
- Fire & Rescue Service Headquarters, Salisbury
- Devizes Training Centre
- West Moors Training Centre
- Support offices in Poundbury (behind the fire station)
- Equipment & fleet workshops in Charminster
- Equipment workshop in Trowbridge (behind the fire station)
- Fleet workshop in Bowerhill, Melksham
PerformanceEdit
Every fire and rescue service in England and Wales is subjected periodically to a statutory inspection by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HIMCFRS). The inspection investigates how well the service performs in each of three areas. On a scale of outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has been rated as follows:
| Area | Rating 2018/19[7] | Rating 2021/22[8] | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness | Good | Good | How effective is the fire and rescue service at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks? |
| Efficiency | Good | Outstanding | How efficient is the fire and rescue service at keeping people safe and secure from fire and other risks? |
| People | Good | Good | How well does the fire and rescue service look after its people? |
Criminal investigationEdit
In January 2023, shortly after its latest HMICFRS inspection, ITV News made allegations against the service.[9] Some firefighters had taken candid pictures of dead female road traffic incident victims and shared them on a private WhatsApp group, where demeaning comments were made, including some about the dead women's underwear.[10] In addition there was sexist behaviour by male officers and firefighters against a number of female firefighters. As a result of the allegations the service reported itself to Dorset Police.[11]
In February 2023, the service revealed that in May 2022, before the ITV News investigation, the service's assistant chief fire officer was investigated for sexual misconduct by its disciplinary committee.[12] However, he retired before being subject to summary dismissal for gross misconduct.[13][14]
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ a b "Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service: Your Fire and Rescue Service". dwfire.org.uk. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ Phillips, Alison (30 March 2016). "Wiltshire Fire Service flag lowered for last time". Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ Moore, Joanne (9 September 2015). "New joint control centre for Wiltshire and Dorset fire services opens". Swindon Advertiser. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ "Authority Members". Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- ^ Moore, Joanne (15 September 2016). "Service names new fire chief". Gazette and Herald. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
- ^ "Fire stations". Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
- ^ "Dorset & Wiltshire 2018/19". Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HIMCFRS). 20 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
- ^ "Dorset & Wiltshire 2021/22". His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HIMCFRS). 20 January 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ Brand, Paul (31 January 2023). "Police investigate claims firefighters took photographs of women who died in car accidents". ITV News. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ Middleton, Joe (31 January 2023). "Dorset and Wiltshire firefighters 'photographed female crash victims'". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ Lewis, Jason (1 February 2023). "Dorset Police on allegations over conduct of firefighters". Dorset Echo. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ Brand, Paul (14 February 2023). "Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Chief's right-hand man sexually harassed women and retired on full pension". ITV News. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ "Statement following latest ITN report". Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service. 9 February 2023. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
- ^ Hughes, Janson (9 February 2023). "Dorset and Wiltshire fire officer escapes sexual harassment punishment". The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
External linksEdit
